Backup power (on a budget)

[lwt42]

Between El Nino and the undergrounding project(s), having a backup seems like a good idea.

First, I identified my essential loads: refrigerator, freezer, furnace, internet, phones.

Then, you measure...  I used one of these https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5QMK3BP

Give it at least 24 hours on each load.  It will tell you the minimum and maximum power draw, and the number of kilowatt-hours.

My load ranges from 60 watts to a bit over 1000 watts.

I have a power bank ("solar generator" is incorrect) with an expansion battery for a total of 6 kilowatt-hours.  I've tested this, it's good for 24 hours.  I have a dedicated outlet near each appliance that is not connected to SCE.

Testing shows that this is good for 20 to 22 hours, so if the power goes off in the middle of the night, we go back to sleep.

For longer outages (like the one last Christmas), I have a generator.  Charging time should be less than 6 hours.

I don't have to drag out the generator in the middle of the night.  I can wait until after my morning Coffee.

I don't have to run the generator when people are sleeping.

I don't have to tend the generator at 2:00 am.

Propane so I'm not storing gasoline.  A 20 pound tank should keep things charged for about 3 days.

It's not quite as smooth as an automatic, whole house generator, but it's far less expensive.

Happy to share what I've learned if anyone is interested.

[Lepo]

I have a power bank ("solar generator" is incorrect) with an expansion battery for a total of 6 kilowatt-hours.  I've tested this, it's good for 24 hours.  I have a dedicated outlet near each appliance that is not connected to SCE.

What power bank do you have, can you share the cost and model?

[lwt42]

What power bank do you have, can you share the cost and model?

It's a Pecron F3000, generally around $800.  The expansion battery is about $600.

My 2300 watt generator will not charge it fast.  My 4000 watt generator does fine.

Running propane instead of gasoline reduces the output, and subtract 3.5% for each 1000' of elevation.  I get about 2500 watts continuous out of a 4000 watt generator.

This is a "suitcase" generator.  I have to take it outside and run an extension, but in an outage I can wait 18 hours to do that.  In the meantime, the critical loads are on the power bank all the time.

[lwt42]

What power bank do you have, can you share the cost and model?

My total investment, generator, power bank and expansion battery is right at $2400.